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12-year-old GM-elect Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus has established himself as one of the world's greatest prodigies, breaking GM Judit Polgar's 35-year-old record as the highest-rated player before the age of 13. One of his many grandmaster coaches shares fascinating insights into their work together.

The Sharjah Masters ended on Wednesday and saw a four-way tie for first with GM Bardiya Daneshvar edging out GMs Volodar Murzin, Sam Shankland, and Shamsiddin Vokhidov on tiebreaks. Our main report covers that, but there were plenty of other noteworthy achievements.

In the spotlight once again is Erdogmus from Bursa, a city in northwest Turkey. The 12-year-old fulfilled the requirements for the grandmaster title at the GRENKE Chess Open one month ago, as the fourth youngest ever, so that in Sharjah he could play without the pressure of achieving a norm.

The prodigy finished on 4.5 points, scoring two wins and five draws, including one shared point against 2701-rated GM Vladimir Fedoseev. His rating performance of 2645 was enough for another GM norm, but one he no longer needed.

Erdogmus' Results In Sharjah

While the youngster scored one of the best results of his career, he tells Chess.com, through his father, that he is not satisfied. "If someone had told me before the tournament that I would score 4.5 points, I wouldn't have been very happy."

If someone had told me before the tournament that I would score 4.5 points, I wouldn't have been very happy.

Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus

He says his favorite game was his round-seven victory against GM Aditya Mittal: "I had good opening preparation and then launched a strong attack against the king, which ended positively."

With a rating gain of 11 points, plus five added from the Menorca Open, Erdogmus' expected June rating is 2569. When FIDE publishes the ratings for June by the end of the month, the 12-year-old will set a historic record, surpassing Polgar'slegendary 2555 rating from January 1989, more than 35 years ago.

The Turkish Chess Federation sent its congratulations.

Erdogmus tells Chess.com: "I didn't make a special effort to break Polgar's record. Since my progress has been consistently upward, I managed to surpass the record. Of course, as a Turk, this made me very happy. I dedicate this record to my country."

I didn't make a special effort to break Polgar's record. Since my progress has been consistently upward, I managed to surpass the record.

Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus

While that record has now been broken, it's worth noting that Polgar's 2555 rating was achieved when she was six months younger than Erdogmus. Also astonishing is that she was ranked 56th in the world at the time, an unprecedented feat in chess history. By comparison, the Turkish youngster is not yet among the world's top 300 players.

Erdogmus has received coaching from some of Turkey's top players over the years, in addition to super-GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who has worked with him for about half a year.

"I am very pleased to work with Yagiz. I see him as a player who can reach 2800 and become a future World Champion," Mamedyarov told Chess.com, while crediting GM Mert Erdogdu and his sponsor Evren Ucok for their support.

Another key helper is GM Evgeny Romanov, who agreed to share some fascinating insights about his work with Chess.com.

"He is the most talented player I've ever seen, and I'm happy that he is going to use my basics in the game of chess," the 35-year-old said.

He is the most talented player I've ever seen, and I'm happy that he is going to use my basics in the game of chess.

Evgeny Romanov on Erdogmus

The former World Youth Champion from Russia, who now represents Norway, is a FIDE Senior Trainer (FST). He has coached several top players who eventually became strong grandmasters in Norway, Germany, and Turkey. Among them are 2017 World Junior Champion GM Aryan Tari, GM Rasmus Svane, his brother GM Frederik Svane and GM Matthias Bluebaum.

Romanov says he started giving online classes to Erdogmus in 2022, but eventually visited his home in Bursa. Only 10 at the time, and not speaking English, the kid needed a translator during the first coaching sessions, which the grandmaster remembers as a remarkable and amusing experience.

"My first impression was, 'How is that possible?' He is making strategic and dynamic mistakes, his endgame technique was very bad, this 10-year-old guy. At the same time, he always manages to keep tension and energy in the game. He is making several mistakes in a row, but it's not so easy to beat him."

"He makes one mistake, two mistakes, and three mistakes. And he is trying to prove to me that these are the right moves. So he is trying to guard his position and his moves. He also asks the engine for help, and I tell him, 'Come on, Yagiz, we are not in kindergarten anymore.'"

Erdogmus responded to the experienced grandmaster in Turkish: "Let's show this grandmaster how kindergarten is playing."

Let's show this grandmaster how kindergarten is playing.

10-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus to Evgeny Romanov

Romanov, who has a peak classical rating of 2662, says the 10-year-old gave him a lesson in blitz that he will never forget. He was "schooled" and lost 6-2.

"Despite getting winning positions in every game, I basically had no chance. My impression of his chess was that he has an out-of-this-world gift, with his overview of the board and his speed of thinking."

Erdogmus has since shown incredible blitz skills on Chess.com, boasting a peak blitz rating of 3104 as legendisback1.

"Tactics-wise he sees much more than me, with an amazing speed. He simply sees all the possible tactics. I was extremely surprised. He is extremely young, but I have never seen such a talent before."

Romanov accompanied the youngster to tournaments and prepared him for his games, which appears to have paid off. Erdogmus skyrocketed after the pandemic in 2021 from 1955 to 2456 a little over a year later in 2022. By the end of 2023, he was approaching 2500.

A memorable moment was when Erdogmus, still not 12, beat 2685-rated GM Alexandr Predke.

Their work ended before Erdogmus started scoring grandmaster norms, but Romanov said it was clear to him that it was just a matter of time until the title would be achieved. He emphasized the youngster's ability to recover from a poor start, as shown in Sharjah.

Now, Erdogmus is the world's top-rated player under 14 years of age, ahead of one-year-older FM Ivan Zemlyanskii, who fulfilled the requirements for the GM title with a 2770 performance in Sharjah.

Top Rated Players Under 14 Years Old (May 2024)

Romanov says he doesn't expect it to take much time until Erdogmus breaks 2700: "I hope he will manage to keep the strength. I am pretty sure that he is already able to beat everyone in the world in classical chess, not only online, where he has demonstrated his skills. He has many, many qualities, so we will see."

Erdogmus already has his sights on his next tournament. The Dubai Open starts on May 25th.

Continue reading here:
12-Year-Old Erdogmus Breaks Polgar's 35-Year-Old Rating Record - Chess.com

Out of the six classical games played so far at the Norway Chess tournaments both the open and the womens only one has finished decisively, and the player who won this one game was Indian rising star R Vaishali. The 22-year-old stunned Humpy Koneru in the second round to become the sole leader in the womens event. Vaishali prevailed with the white pieces in a double-edged encounter which saw Humpy failing to make the most of her advantage in the early middlegame.

Standing at a 1-point distance from the leader are Ju Wenjun and Lei Tingjie, who won Armageddon tiebreakers in rounds 1 and 2 after drawing their classical encounters. The two Chinese stars, who are also the highest-rated players in the field, collected wins with white over Anna Muzychuk and Pia Cramling, respectively, in Tuesdays round.

Ju found a nice tactical shot to convert her clear advantage against Muzychuk in the rapid tiebreaker.

The prosaic 32.Rxd6 is winning for White, grabbing a crucial pawn and increasing an already major positional advantage. However, much stronger is 32.Bxh6, as played in the game after 32...Qxf6, White counts with 33.Bg5+, a killer discovered check.

Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol.1 - 9

In this Video-Course we deal with different dynamic decisions involving pawns. The aim of this Course is to arm club/tournament players with fresh ideas which they can use in their own practice.

There followed 33...Kg7 34.Bxf6+ Rxf6 35.Bxc6 bxc6, and the white queen is clearly stronger than Blacks rook and bishop. The world champion went on to convert her advantage into a 48-move victory.

Ju Wenjun and Anna Muzychuk | Photo: Stev Bonhage

Analysis by Andr Schulz

Improve your Tactics

The aim of this course is to help you understand how to make tactical opportunities arise as well as to sharpen your tactical vision - these selected lectures will help to foster your overall tactical understanding.

R Vaishali won the all-Indian confrontation against Humpy Koneru | Photo: Stev Bonhage

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Norway Chess Women: Vaishali stuns Humpy, grabs the lead - Chess News | ChessBase

Devansh Vellanki has collected numerous awards for chess.

Harini Chadalavada and her husband, Arum Vellanki, noticed that their young son Devansh could keep himself occupied for hours playing with Legos and puzzles sitting and focusing intently on what he was doing.

The Hopkinton residents decided to teach him about chess and how the pieces move.

That was two years ago, when Devansh was about 5.

As soon as he started, he took to it right away, Chadalavada said. Even at two months short of 5, he had the emotional maturity, she said.

Now, the first grader at eBridge Montessori School in Westborough has made a name for himself in the world of chess.

At the 2024 U.S. Chess Federation National Elementary Championship in April, the 7-year-old emerged as the national champion in the K-1 category, sharing the title with two others. There were 147 competitors in all.

His mother felt extremely happy about the results, noting that Devansh was very passionate about working toward achieving his goals, and this title was a great accomplishment. To earn it, he achieved an undefeated score of 6.5/7.

The four-day tournament in Columbus, Ohio, was comprised of seven rounds with approximately 1,600 players from 43 states participating.

Chadalavada explained that parents and spectators are not allowed into the room when play is underway, although she admits they can peek from a distance now and then to see how things are going.

A month prior, Devansh tied for first place at the 16th annual open tournament at Foxwoods Resort in Ledyard, Connecticut. This event featured competitors from various countries and ran for three days. Devansh remained undefeated in the under-1,400 rating category with four wins and three draws. He won a cash prize of $1,266.

What is different about an open tournament is that the first grader can be competing against adults in addition to young people.

Chadalavada noted that her son played against people in their 30s to 50s and had to have stamina to complete the rounds, which run up to three hours. No talking is allowed during play.

Devansh said he enjoys playing against adults and kids of all ages. His focus is on the game, however, and not getting excited or nervous at tournaments.

Technically, I dont feel anything, he said. I only think and feel about the game.

Devansh likes to play soccer and said he previously used to swim and play tennis.

His favorite subject at school is science, and he practices chess almost every day.

His younger brother, Vedansh, who is 3, already is learning about chess thanks to the champion.

I do teach him, Devansh noted. As for what he likes best about chess, he said its the game and trying to pick which pieces to move.

Prior to the big events, Devansh participates in other club tournaments for his age group as well as K-12.

Chadalavada explained that these tournaments are held in places like Westborough, Burlington, New York, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, so travel is involved. On weekends, it can be a 12-hour day.

Hoping to slow down his schedule a bit, Chadalavada said she felt confident her son would do well in the major events.

Its a national competition and I expected he would do his best, she said. I knew he would be there [at the top] someday.

Read this article:
Hopkinton first grader wins national chess title - Hopkinton Independent

When the Taliban were brought back to power, it blocked the countrys path to development and forced society into regression. This regression encompasses all aspects of life, affecting all sectors of society. Among them, children have suffered greater harm, with various categories emerging. Each category, due to their inherent characteristics over which they have no control, becomes distinct from others, and the fundamentalist and exclusionary policies of the Taliban have harmed them. Initially, it can be said that no child, even if they are the child of the Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah, has been spared from the harm of the Talibans regressive policies. However, overall, children are categorized primarily based on their gender. Girls face a darker fate and a more dismal future under the Talibans white flag compared to boys, with transgender children facing even more challenges than girls. Other characteristics such as ethnicity, language, religion, region, etc., also influence the level of vulnerability of children to the Talibans policies. For example, a Hazara Shia girl from Daikundi province tolerates more deprivation than a Pashtun boy from Kandahar. A Daikundi girl, born in Daikundi, is deprived of certain privileges and rights such as electricity and paved roads, because of her birthplace. Furthermore, being born Hazara and not receiving favorable treatment from the Taliban due to their Shia beliefs, she endures deprivation. Additionally, being born a girl and facing the Talibans patriarchal and misogynistic rule further deprives her of her fundamental rights. And finally, because she speaks Persian, she faces discrimination. This compounded deprivation is the least a Daikundi girl might endure. Other children may have one or two fewer reasons for deprivation, but they are undoubtedly deprived of their most basic rights, and this harm is not insignificant.

The power struggle that has resulted in the Taliban seizing control over the fate of the people of Afghanistan has victimized children. Afghan children are currently facing a myriad of challenges, having lost their hope for a bright future and human dignity. These challenges range from hunger and thirst to the dangers of planted mines, leading to inadequate education and deprivation thereof, further towards deprivation of recreation and joy, ultimately diverting towards child labor camps. Some of these children are sent to Taliban Jihadist schools to become cannon fodder for Taliban politicians in the future, contradicting human rights and becoming violators themselves in a few years. While the Taliban deprive students of Jihadist schools of opportunities for human life, recreation, joy, and modern education, they groom them to resemble themselves, lacking much connection with contemporary humanity. They neither understand the essentials of modern human life nor can they connect with present-day humans. Some other boys join the ranks of militants and are not only used on the battlefield but also exploited as sexual slaves. These are the boys who are recruited into Taliban Jihadist schools.

Girls, however, suffer differently. They are collectively deprived of their fundamental rights, including education, recreation, freedom of movement, and the choice of attire. Some of them are recruited into Taliban-controlled religious schools where they undergo brainwashing to serve as sexual objects for Jihadists and Taliban commanders in the future. Due to their inability to connect with society, the Taliban receive negative responses to marriage proposals, hence they transform girls religious schools into marriage brokerage businesses. According to reports from the Hasht-e-Subh Daily, girls studying in religious schools in Kunduz previously refused marriage proposals from the Taliban. Still, they are now encouraged to do so in schools, and some have agreed to marry Taliban fighters. These girls are mostly below the legal age and, being deceived by Taliban clerics, unwittingly fall into the trap of Taliban fighters sexual desires, forsaking all their human rights. These girls become victims of the political situation prevailing in the country, sacrificing their lives and forfeiting all their rights by entering religious schools and marrying Taliban members.

This is just a small portion of the situation imposed by Taliban rule on the fate of children in the country. Issues like this receive less attention from the media, the people of Afghanistan, the global community, and human rights organizations. Despite the widespread distribution of videos showing sexual abuse by Taliban clerics in mosques against students and teachers in religious schools, we have not witnessed a serious reaction from society domestically and international human rights defenders. Unfortunately, children in Afghanistan, like Afghanistan itself, have diminished in importance, and their sorrow fails to arouse the attention of the global community. Instead, the international community, especially some regional and neighboring countries, attempts to legitimize Taliban rule as an inevitable matter and engage with it for future interaction. This further exacerbates the duration of Taliban rule and consequently the magnitude of suffering and deprivation of Afghan children. Countries advocating for engagement with the Taliban may gain political benefits. Still, the price is paid by boys and girls in various parts of Afghanistan, some less, some more, each commensurate with their identity characteristics and whether they have been recruited into Taliban-controlled schools or not.

Children in Afghanistan, who have been victims of the policies of countries and Afghan rulers several times before, are still experiencing new cycles of victimization. Some are victims of displacement, others of the consequences of floods and earthquakes in the absence of responsible governance, and some are drawn into religious and Jihadist schools. In contrast, others endure hunger and thirst, and some are forced into child labor, and so forth. We see from all sides that international organizations and influential countries compete to establish relations with the Taliban, while these actions severely victimize children. The United Nations, human rights-defending countries, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) overlook these small victims. It seems neither Islam nor the Organization of Islamic Cooperation comes to the aid of Afghan children, nor does the United Nations Charter and the Convention on the Rights of the Child address the needs of Afghan children, nor do countries claiming to support human and child rights.

You can read the Persian version of this analysis here:

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Read more from the original source:
Pawns in Power Play: Afghan Children Caught in the Political Chess Game with the Taliban - Hasht-e Subh - Hasht-e Subh Daily

LIVE CHESS WORLD LEAGUE LCWL LIVE 960 FINAL AUSTRALIA VS SLOVAKIA

DATE: 2ND JUNE 2024

TIMING: 6.09 pm AEST , 10.09 AM SLOVAKIAN TIME

Where to WATCH: SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA NIMISH RAUT CHESS YOUTUBE CHANNEL

LINK: https://youtube.com/@spiritofaustralianimishrau4608?si=saffJs_Lh3XqBvYe

PRE MATCH PRESENTATION STARTS FROM 5.30 PM AEST, 9.30 AM SLOVAKIAN TIME.

HEAD TO HEAD: 0-0

ITS THE FIRST TIME AUSTRALIA IS TAKING ON SLOVAKIA

FAVORITES: SLOVAKIA

SLOVAKIA HAVEN'T LOST A SINGLE MATCH IN THIS LCWL

SEASON. THEY ARE CURRENTLY PLACED TOP OF THE POINTS TABLE. AUSTRALIA IS 3RD IN POINTS TABLE.

KEY TO DEFEAT SLOVAKIA: AUSTRALIA NEED TO RAISE ATLEAST 16-20 PLAYERS AND 12-15 PLAYERS ABOVE THE RATINGS OF 1300 AND 2 ABOVE RATING OF 2000.

SCENARIO: 1. IF SLOVAKIA WINS AND DENMARK DEFEATS BRAZIL THEN AUSTRALIA WILL BE RANKED 4TH.

2. IF AUSTRALIA DEFEATS SLOVAKIA WITH A HUGE MARGIN THEN AUSTRALIA WILL BE CROWNED AS CHAMPIONS

3. IF AUSTRALIA DEFEATS SLOVAKIA WITH A SMALL MARGIN THEN THERE ARE CHANCES OF SLOVAKIA, BRAZIL OR AUSTRALIA OF BECOMING CHAMPIONS BASED ON TIEBREAKS.

4. IF SLOVAKIA WINS AND BRAZIL DEFEATS DENMARK THEN AUSTRALIA WILL RANK 3RD

REQUESTING ALL THE AUSTRALIAN PLAYERS WHO PLAY LIVE 960 TO JOIN THE LIVE 960 FINAL.

See more here:
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AUSTRALIA VS SLOVAKIA LCWL LIVE 960 FINAL - Chess.com